The Unlucky Ones
by Nureek
Summary: A young Harper learns one of life's hard lessons.
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: The Unlucky Ones  
AUTHOR: Nureek  
RATING: PG   
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, really I own nothing, not a house, not a car, and not the Andromeda characters. Though I would love a Mini-mini-Harper. He could sit on my desk, hand me my pencils, and look cute.   
ARCHIVE: Ask me please. 

SUMMARY: A young Harper learns one of life's hard lessons. 

Chapter 1 

The cold thin air struggled to pass through the young boy's lungs as his short legs fumbled through the ankle deep snow. The forest was so white and pure that no one would have ever guessed that death, pain and terror was just outside of the tree line. Another magog attack. 

Seamus Zelazny Harper felt the freezing air whip through his thin clothes as he dashed to his favorite hiding spot. His heart pounded faster than he thought possible as he neared the safety of the hole. His hole was created by decaying tree trunks and thick large roots. It was just big enough for the runt of an eight year old boy to fit into. He came here whenever life in the camps got too much for him; which was quite often. 

Gasping for air, Seamus dived into the hole. The damp, warmer air of the burrow filled his frozen lungs. He let out a sigh of relief as he leaned up against the root covered walls. He was finally safe - for now. But his family was another matter. When the attack alarm sounded, he was on the opposite side of the camp away from his home and family. Being closer to the forest than his family, he wisely chose he forest. Seamus was absent mindedly twisting a loose root in worry. 

The hours passed, but Seamus's sixth sense wouldn't stop tingling. It wasn't safe to go back yet. The worry root had found it's way to his mouth and was slowly getting gnawed down to nothing. Intensely concentrating on the root, Seamus didn't notice the movement behind his back until something bit him. He let out a yelp and jumped up so fast that he hit his head on the roots above. Regaining his composer, he squinted his sensitive eyes to try to make out what was in his hole with him. There was just a small amount of light that filtered through the opening, but he could see something move in the shadows. It was small and furry. "Too big for a rat", he thought.. It slowly moved into the light and as it did, a huge grin crossed Seamus's face. 

It was a bunny! 

A rabbit as white as the snow hopped into the light. It's large floppy ears bounced up and down as it moved toward the boy. Seamus laid down on the mud floor while he waited and watched. A few minutes later the rabbit was inches from his face and sniffing the boy's nose. Seamus laughed as the whiskers ticked his cold cheeks. He slowly brought his hand out in front of him and towards the creature. The rabbit sniffed the small dirty hand and started nudging it with it's nose. "Do you want to be petted little guy?' Seamus whispered. The boy brought his ruff hand up to the rabbit and started to pet it. The fur was the softest thing he had ever felt. It was like silk (if he had known what silk was). Seamus heard this grinding sound coming from his new little friend when he would rub it behind it's ears. "So ya like that spot, do ya little guy?" The bunny responded by stretching out it's hind legs and looking like it was in heaven. "I guess so." 

After a while, the boy brought his other hand up under the creatures chin. The rabbit rested it's head on the filthy hand and started to lick it clean. Now, Seamus was in heaven. The huge contented grin never left his face. All his worries had faded into the darkness. 

The little light in the hole slowly dimmed as the day grew on. Seamus's worries started to flood back into his consciousness as he remembered his family and the raid. "Kay little guy, I gotta go now. It was nice ta meet ya", he said to rabbit who responded simply by wiggling it's nose. "I'll be back soon, I promise." With that, he patted the rabbit one last time and received one last lick. As soon as he had crawled out of the opening, he broke into a sprint, charging through the snow. Hope and worry filled his thoughts on the whole trip back to the camp. 

TBC....


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

The pure white snow gradually changed into a brown mush as Seamus neared the camp. He shuddered as he saw that the brown sludge was marred with numerous deep red blotches. He stared running even faster at this point as his mind filled with terror. What would he find when he reached the camp? Life, death or something even worst than death. A breath of relief came out when he saw people mulling around. There were survivors. If others made it through, maybe his family did too. Racing towards his hut, he pushed his small legs beyond their limit as the cold air infiltrated his lungs even farther. He skidded around the corner to spot his family's tiny one room hut. He pause outside of the unusually quite shack gasping for air. As he stood there shaking, every horrible thought filled his young mind. Slowly, he managed to get his legs working again and approached his home. 

His heart stopped as he heard sobbing radiating from inside the shack. Who did he lose this time? His mother? His father? Or maybe more of his cousins? At least it couldn't be any of his siblings, since he lost them all already. Whoever it was the boy just hoped that they were killed and not infested. Taking a deep breath, he calmed his fears enough to enter the hut. His shaky hand reached forward to pull back the dirty, hole ridden blanket that was used as a door. Inside, he saw his mother, Maggie Harper, sitting on an overturned crate, sobbing. 

"Who was it?" Seamus asked sheepishly. 

His mother slowly looked up. Even though she was only 25 years old, the stress of the camps had doubled her age. Wrinkles and dirt lined her thin, drawn face. With tears still streaming down her face she yelled, "SEAMUS!" 

She rushed towards her little boy and embraced him in a tight warm hug. "We thought ....*sob*.... they had...gotten you...*sob*..." she sputtered out between tears of joy. 

"So no one is dead or infested?" the thin boy asked as only an eight year old could. 

Maggie held her son at arms lengths and caressed his sunken cheek. "No honey, no one is dead or infested. We all made it through.....this time," she said adding the last part in a whisper. She hugged her living son again. "Oh honey, we were all so worried." Seamus replied by hugging back, finally relived that everyone was alright....for now. 

A few hours later, Mathew Harper was pacing outside of the ransacked hut. Only 27 years old, the camps had not been kind to him either. He had the same wrinkles of constant worry that his wife Maggie had. His mind was racing, trying to figure out a way to tell his lover that the last of their children was most likely dead. Taking a deep shaky breath he entered the hut only to be greeted by the sounds of giggles. That giggling could only come from one person. 

"SEAMUS!" he yelled out in joy as he saw his very alive son playing cards on the dirt floor with his wife. Mathew raced across the small hut and embraced his son. "Are you ok, Shay?" 

"Yah Dad, I'm fine. Sorry I worried you and Mom", he replied as he looked down at the floor in shame. He hated worrying his parents. 

"It's okay, son. Just as long as your safe." Mathew cuddled his wife and son as he joined them on the cold dirt floor. "So, whatcha playing?" 

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 

Two weeks later, the cleanup from the magog raid was completed. The bodies had been burned, the dead were grieved for, the huts were repaired, and the newly fallen snow had covered up the old red mush. The only evidence that there was ever a raid was the noticeably lower number of people in the camp and the more than normal lack of food. When the magog attacked, they destroyed most of the food that was in storage. Food that was grown and saved so that most of the camp could make it through the harsh northeastern winters. Food that was desperately needed. Food that was no longer there. Food that hung in thoughts of everyone, especially since winter had only just begun. 

Seamus awoke to a growling stomach yet again. He was getting used to it by now. Rolling onto his back in his make-shift bed, the hungry boy snuggled into his rough thin blankets. The cold dirt floor directly below him managed to take away any heat that the blankets were keeping in. He gave up on trying to get warm and slowly got up. His body ached from sleeping on the hard ground, the cold air was whipping through his thin layers of clothing and his stomach felt like it was digesting it's self, but the boy's eyes still sparkled. The reason for that sparkle was one small, white, furry bunny. Ever since the magog attack, Seamus had gone to visit his pal every chance he got. Yesterday, he rushed through all his chores so he would be free today to visit his little buddy. The freshly risen boy yelled goodbye to this mother who was busily stitched up what little clothing they had. Then, he threw on his oversized boots and ran out the door. "That boy has more energy than the Energizer Bunny", Maggie muttered, as she finished up a knot. 

Again, the boy rushed through the snow covered woods, but this time he was running to a furry creature instead of away from one. When he reached his hole, he dove in. The boy was gasping for air as he laid on his empty stomach. "Hey buddy, I'm back. Wanna come out for some attention?" Replying to the soft voice, whiskers popped out of the darkness. A little white head and big floppy ears followed. Last to come out was the round furry body. "Hello pal", Seamus said as he placed his hand in front of his thin body. The rabbit did a little hop with a twist in the air and ran up to the dirty cold hand. It forced it's head underneath the hand demanding to be petted. Seamus laughed. "My, ain't we bossy." As the boy began to pet the soft white fur, all of his worries and pain went away. 

The little fur ball eventually started to lick the small hand. "Hey, that tickles little guy.....ya know, I can't just keep calling ya little guy, buddy and pal all the time. You need a name", he declared. "Hum... so what would be a good name for ya? Bugs maybe?" The white ball of fur stopped licking and looked up at Seamus with disgust written all over it's face. "So not Bugs huh. How 'bout Thumper?" Still no licking. "No huh? Well I'm all outta of cartoon rabbit names. Those are the only ones my Dad told me stories about." Seamus paused for a minute, thinking. "OH I know! Since you scared the shit out of me when we first meet...how 'bout Spooky?!!" With that, the rabbit started to lick the boy's hand ferociously. "Spooky is it then!" 

After about two hours of petting and licking, both of the misfits were getting bored. Seamus looked around and saw a small loose twig laying on the ground of the burrow. He picked it up an placed it in front of Spooky. "Wanna play catch?" the boy asked in a gentle questioning voice. Spooky quickly picked up the twig in his mouth, turned his head to the side and threw the stick. The human retrieved the toy and place it back in front of his furry friend who threw it off to the other side this time. A giggle came out of the boy's mouth as they continued this game for hours. Getting tired of the game, they went back to comforting each other till the sun was quite low in the sky. "Oh man, I gotta go Spooks. My folks might get worried. I'll be back soon." Seamus got up, crawled out of their hole and ran back through the cold lonely forest to the camp. 

Taking a sharp turn around a tree, he crashed into a larger person. "Shit man, watch where your going", grumbled an angry voice. 

"Sorry", Seamus said looking down. He was trying to look as small as possible, hoping not to piss off whoever he had ran into. 

"Seamus?" asked the same voice. 

"Yah?" he replied as he cautiously looked up. A look of recognition came to his previously worried face. It was his older cousin Brendan. "Oh, hey Bren! Sorry I didn't see you. I'm kinda trying to get home before my folks get worried." 

"Well your too late for that. They just sent me out to try to find you. Thanks for making my job easy", he said as he ruffled up his younger cousin's uncontrollable hair. "So, where are you running off to all the time now?" Brendan asked as he helped Seamus up off the wet snow. 

"Oh, nowhere special, just, uh ...um... hanging around", the boy said as he wiggled around nervously. 

"Uh huh, sure", Brendan said eyeing the twitching boy suspiciously. 

"Ok, well thanks for finding me, I gotta go now, bye", Seamus spewed out as he broke into a run towards home. He didn't like Brendan interrogating him like that. He didn't want anyone to find out about Spooky. Spooky was his! His and his alone. 

TBC.....


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 

Three weeks later, food was still a rare commodity. People were starting to starve to death in the snow encased camps. Like everyone else, the Harper family was looking quite pitiful. They were just walking skeletons with their ragged clothes hanging off their bones. But even with no food in his stomach, Seamus still managed to find the energy to visit Spooky every other day. It kept him going. It was something to look forward to during the endless days of hunger. So today, like every other day, the stick of a boy headed off into the wintry woods for some escapism. But today was different. Unbeknownst to Seamus, he brought a guest with him to his burrow. 

Brendan had been watching his cousins behavior carefully and noted the disappearances into the woods. The thirteen year old suspected that Seamus was hiding food somewhere in the forest. It would explain why the boy had so much energy. So today, Brendan was going to follow the boy to his secret stash of food. 

Seamus didn't have the energy to run through the deep snow anymore, but he could still walk rather quickly, especially considering how short his legs were. "Damn that kid", Brendan growled under his breath as he struggled to keep up with the little ball of energy. 

Luckily, soon Seamus slowed up as he neared his peaceful spot. Brendan caught up just in time to see his little cousin crawl into a tiny hole in the ground. "I knew it!! That little scank is hiding food!!" Brendan hissed as he rushed forward toward the hole. "SEAMUS ZELAZNY HARPER!! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE THIS INSTANCE!!" he yelled sounding more like an adult than any young teenager should.

A dirty small blond head popped out of the hole. "Oh, hey Brendan. Whacha doing out here?" Seams said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible when your sticking your head out of a hole in the ground and have a rabbit digging in your bum. 

"I'm following you, you little twit! What do you have in that hole?! It's food ain't it?! How could you hide food from your starving family!!??" Brendan yelled as a new vein came to the surface of his forehead with each new sentence. 

Seamus looked aghast. "I'm not hiding food. I would never hide food!" 

"Then what is it?'" the older cousin asked . He was getting frustrated with the kid's antics. 

"Nothing", replied Seamus wishing his cousin would just leave. 

Brendan had had it with the games. He was cold, tired and hungry. "That's it!" he yelled as he lunged forward, grabbed Seamus by his thin shirt and flung him out of the hole and into a nice pile of snow. 

"Umpf", was the only reply Seamus could make as he hit the snow. 

Brendan then proceeded to stick his head into the hole only to be greeted by a set of whiskers tickling his face. "A RABBIT!?!" he screamed. 

Seamus proceeded to stand up and dust off the snow. "Yeah", he replied pitifully. 

"This whole time we're starving and you've been hiding a rabbit!!?? What's wrong with you?!!" Brendan screamed as he approached his scared little cousin. 

"What? What are you talking about? Spooky's not food!" Seamus sputtered out. 

Brendan glared down at his cousin in disbelief. "NOT FOOD!? Are you an idiot!? MEAT, Seamus, MEAT!! It's meat! And don't tell me you named it!!" 

Seamus rushed around Brendan to protect the hole and his pal with his small fragile body. "I don't care how hungry we get, we're not eating Spooky! He's my friend! He's not meat! He's as much meat as you are meat!", the boy managed to get out as tears welled up behind his eyes. 

The older cousin looked down at the naive boy. Sorrow and anger battled each other in Brendan's eyes. He leaned down to be face to face with Seamus and spoke in a gentle tone, "Shay, we are all starving to death. That rabbit will fed us for days if we ration it. We have to kill it." 

"NO!" cried Seamus. Tears had managed to break through and were falling down his dirty face. 

"I'm sorry Shay, but I have ta do this." Brendan stood up and took off his top layer of ratty clothing for a makeshift bag. 

"NO! I won't let you! NO!" Seamus screamed with all his heart. He gripped harder onto the roots, blocking the source of his happiness with his body. 

The larger boy pushed Seamus aside to get to the hole. A crying and screaming Seamus kick and punched his cousin with no avail. Brendan reached inside the hole. When his hand came back out, a terrified white rabbit was in it's grasp. 

"NOOOO!" yelled a now horrified Seamus. He continued to attack his cousin will all his might. 

Brendan put Spooky in the makeshift bag while trying to fight off his hysterical cousin. When the bag was tied up, he grabbed Seamus's bone thin arm and dragged the struggling and screaming boy back toward camp. Halfway back, Seamus had given up fighting and simply let his older cousin lead him home as tears continued to fall down his cold face. 

TBC.....


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

When the cousins neared their families' shacks, Brendan finally released Seamus's arm. The distraught boy ran straight into his hut, to his corner and hid under his ratty thin blankets. After that, all that could be seen or heard of Seamus was a sobbing heap of old thin rags. 

Brendan's family came over to the Harper's hut along with all the other relatives. There were cheers all around, well all around if you don't count one very upset young boy and one very scared rabbit. The gathering turned out to be a party of sorts. It was the type of party where 15 starving people get together to celebrate the tiny amount of food that comes from one small rabbit. But anything is better than nothing. 

Spooky was taken outside to be slaughtered almost as soon as the boys arrived. Even under his blankets, Seamus could hear Spooky squeal as his family slit his friend's throat. A new set of heaving sobs came to his body. He could hear the cheers from his family as they prepared the meat. He could smell the stew being cooked. And he could smell Spooky. 

He heard his family visiting with each other around the tiny hut while they waited for the stew to be done. For the first time in his life, he wished they would all just go away, then he felt a bony mass settle down next to him. 

"Honey?" It was his mother. 

"*Sniff* Yes", he managed to get out in between sobs. 

"Are you okay?" Maggie asked, knowing full well what the answer was. 

"I"m good, *sniff* I'm...good", he said not fooling anyone, especially his own mother. 

"Honey, come out from there, I wanna talk to you." 

Seamus slowly poked his head out from beneath the layers of cloth. Looking down at her son, Maggie saw a thin tear streaked face, but it was his hair that made her hold in giggles. The normally wild hair had been completely disheveled by the blankets. Areas of blond hair were now squashed down in some places while in others the hair was almost jumping off his head. Add in the static cling and the worried mother still had to hold in her laughter. Brushing his hair with her hand and wiping away his tears, she regained her composure. "I know that rabbit was your friend, but sometimes, well, sometimes... nature has to take it's course, that rabbit is foo..." 

"Spooky!! The rabbit's name is..." He paused, "was Spooky." Seamus said defiantly. 

"Well...Spooky is food and we need food right now. I'm sorry, I hope you understand." his mother explained as she caressed his face. 

Seamus just looked up at his mother with blank face. He understood her, of course he did, he was a freak'n genius for heavens sake. But he didn't want any of this to be happening. He didn't want to be starving all the time, he didn't want his family to be starving all the time and he didn't want to kill and eat his little buddy. He just wanted to go back to his hole and pet Spooky. 

At that moment, Mathew Harper walked up to the corner where his family was huddled. He had with two bowls in his hands. "Here honey, eat up." Maggie got up, took a bowl from her husband and left to go savior her little bowl of heaven. Mathew took his wife's place next to their son. 

"Here buddy, you gotta eat this", Mathew said quietly as he tried to give the other bowl to miserable boy. 

"That's Spooky, ain't it?" Seamus said disgusted, not taking the bowl from his father. 

"Well, son, um, yes, it is, but it will fill you up, make your stomach stop hurting." 

"I don't want it. I'd rather be hungry." replied the boy with great spite in his voice. 

"You gotta eat it Shay", his father said a bit more sternly. 

"NO!" 

"Seamus Zelazny Harper!! You will eat this stew or I'll shove it down your throat!!" Mathew yelled. All he wanted was to feed his starving child. Why must everything always be so difficult and unfair. 

"I WILL NOT EAT SPOOKY!!" Seamus yelled as he threw the blankets off of him and ran out of the crowded one room hut. 

"Well that went well", Mathew muttered under his breath as he was left alone sitting in the corner.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 

Mathew had been searching for his missing son everywhere. He checked all of Seamus's favorite hang out spots and anywhere else he could think of. After an hour of searching the cold snow covered camp, he headed back home. 

The hut was still full of relatives all enjoying their precious stews. Some had wolfed it down in one swallow while the more daring ones were savoring each spoonful for minutes at a time. Brendan had finished his stew already and was talking to one of the other cousins. Mathew walked up to his nephew. "Brendan, where did you find Seamus and that rabbit?" the worried father asked. 

"In a little hole in the forest. Why?" replied the skinny teenager. No one noticed Seamus's little outburst amongst all the conversations and celebration. 

"When we tried to give Shay a bowl of the stew he got all upset and ran off. I can't find him anywhere." 

"Do you think he went to the hole?" asked the newly worried cousin. 

"Maybe, I've looked everywhere else. Do you think you could show me were it is?" 

"Yeah, sure, no prob." 

The two men left the warmth of the family gathering and headed off into the cold gray forest. As they approached the hiding spot they could both hear the sobbing little boy. 

"Son? Are you in there?" a concerned father asked the hole. 

"No", came a pathetic whimper from the void. 

Mathew turned to his nephew and said, "Thanks Brendan, you can head back now. I've got it from here." As the teenager left, the older man got down on his hands and knees and peered into the burrow. "Son, I just wanna talk to you. Can you come out? I can't fit my fat ass in that hole of yours." In reply, he heard a stifled laugh between sniffs and then he heard movement. Mathew moved back to allow room for his son to come out. Seamus crawled out slowly and moved next to his father. They were both sitting in the snow, leaning against a nearby tree. 

Mathew looked down at his son and said, "Seamus I'm sorry we had to kill Spooky. It's just the way of life. I wish it didn't have to be, and you could have kept him as a friend, but we're just not that lucky." 

"I know Dad. I just miss him. I didn't worry when I was with him. I just petted and played with him and all my worries went away...like magic", Seamus said while looking down at his fidgeting hands. 

Mathew drew his son into a hug, kissed the top of his head and said, "I am sorry." 

"Thanks *sniff*", Seamus said weakly. 

"I have something for you. Something so that you'll always have Spooky with you. Something that might one day bring you the luck we don't have right now." With that, Mathew pulled out from his pocket a little white rabbit's foot on a chain. "I saved it from when we killed him", Mathew added quietly. 

Seamus looked up at his father and the rabbit's foot. New tears filled his eyes as he reached up and took the foot from his father's hand. The fur was just as soft as he remembered it. As he rubbed the foot, he felt his worries begin to fade a bit. Not as much as before, but again, anything is better than nothing. "Thanks Dad, I'll keep it forever", he said as he hugged his scrawny father again. 

"Now let head back to camp, get you that bowl of food your mother has been guarding with her life and dry off my butt from sitting in this snow for so long." stated Mathew in order to hear that famous giggle from his son. 

Seamus did reward his father with a weak giggle as they both got up. Mathew started walking as the boy quickly attached Spooky's foot to his pants. As he petted the foot he said, "I'll always remember you Spooky. Thanks for everything." With that, he ran after his father and headed back towards home.  
  
The End


End file.
